Rotary elevator for raising liquids



(No Model.) r R. SMITH.

ROTARY ELEVATOR FOR RAISING LIQUIDS. No. 898,855. Patented Mar. 5. 1889.

RICHARD SMITH, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

ROTARY ELEVATOR FOR RAISING LIQUIDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 398,855, dated March 5, 1889.

Application filed July 2, 1888.

To all whom it may concern:

and useful Improvements in Rotary Elevators Serial No. 278,783. (No model.)

1 such liquid and deliver the same into a suitforRaisingliiquids: and I doh ereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable oth- 3 ers skilled in the art to which it appertai 11s to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to figures I f thereto, is made in screw form or helical 1n shape, the diameter of said screw in a plane of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Thisinvention relates to rotary liquid-ole vators, more especially that class in which a 1 shaft about which is secured in spiral form Z suining the elevator is vertically disposed, I

a metallic band or screw is caused to revolve within a. stationary hollow tube or cylinder for the purpose of raising fluids from one clevation to another.

The drawings represent in Figure 1 a perspective View of a liquid-elevator embodying my invention. Fig. is a topcnd view. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the lower end. Fig. a is asectional elevation of a parlof thesame, showing one of the buckets.

Hitherto much difficulty has been experienced in producing satisfactory results in liquid-elevators, wherein a smooth strip of metal wound spirally about and secured to a revolving shaft to form an endless screw thereon has been employed. First, the shaft requires to be revolved at extremely high speed; secondly, the effects of gravity almost nullify the action of the screw in producing a continuous iiow of the liquid to be raised, and therefore this class of machines has not generally been considered practical.

The object of my invention is to produce an effective and practical li p1id-clevator by employing an endless screw secured upon a revolving shaft, the screw and shaft revolving within a stationary fixed tube, and moreover not of a necessity to be driven at ahigh rate of speed to procure efficient results.

In the drawings, 0 represents the elevator as an entirety, composed of a stationary cylindrical tube or stand-pipe, 3, comnmnicating at its base when said pipe is in a vertical position with the liquid source of supply, while the upper end is arranged to discharge able pipe or conduit, whence it may be conducted awav. it-bin this tube 3, open at both ends, I have disposed the lifting apparatus proper, A, composed of a suitable actu ating rod or shaft, 5, circular in cross-section, and which, when vertically disposed, is to be stepped at its base centrally of the tube 3 and with its longitudinal axis coinciding with that of said tube. Secured about said shaft, and extending lengthwise thereof, is a smooth metallic band, 6, which, prior to its attachment at right angles to the shaft being slightly less than the internal diameter of the tube, within. which it freely revolves. Furthermore, as-

have soldered or otherwise secured upon the periphery or exterior bounding edge of said screw a vertically-disposed strip, 7, which acts as a partial support and means of attachment for a series of buckets, S, the construction and 3 action of which I shall now proceed to explain.

As before promised, in rotary liquid-elevators of the class above described gravity exerts such a strong counter-effect against the rotary upward or lifting action produced by the rap idly-revolving screw that to obviate such results I have secured a series of buckets, 8, upon the upper face of the screw, said buckets being so constructed that they do not retard the forward action or lift, but effectually prevent the drop or counter action caused by gravity. To produce the proper result by means of said buckets, I cut a series of plates,

fl, of a width equal to that of the band composing the screw, with the ends straight, but converging, while the sides are arcs of concentric circlcs. These plates are finallybent to form a warped surface. The lower end, 10,

of this plate is a plane surface, while the curvature rapidly increases at its upper ext-remity,12. Said plate is arranged divergent to the'upper face of the screw, being set with the lower edge coincident therewith and resting upon the upper surface, to which it is af- I00 fixed. Its upper extremity or edge is flush with the vertical strip 7. Laterally and upon the inner side it is contiguous to the shaft, while to the outer side is attached the vertical lip or strip 7. To prevent the liquid from entering beneath said plates between the latter and the helical band or screw, flat vertical pieces 13 radially of the shaft connect the upper edge of one bucket with the lower edge of the next adjacent an d succeeding bucket, said edges being vertically aligned.

Thus a series an inclosing-tube, substantially as herein set forth.

of buckets are arranged in spiral form about thereabout, and a series of consecutivebuckthe central shaft, the pieces 13 or ends of the buckets preventing return by gravity of the liquid contained therein. The tube or standpipe 3, which surrounds and incloses the elevator, co-operates with said buckets to prevent escape of the fluid from said buckets, which would otherwise occur, due to the centrifugal force. As now arranged it is compelled to advance forward or upward, dependent upon the position of the stand-pipe.

The action of this elevator, presuming the shaft andelevating-screw are rotated in the direction indicated, (see Fig. 1,) and that the buckets are now all empty, is as follows: Upon rotation of the shaft and its screw a certain amount of liquid is forced up into the first volves therein.

and lowest bucket and there 11 eld for a moment. A further partial revolution of the shaft will now force a like amount'into the first bucket, while the liquid first received therein is now displaced and forced into the second bucket by the recently-added liquid in the first bucket. Thus a continuous but successive displacement occurs, the contents of one bucket being discharged therefrom and delivered into the next succeeding bucket until the liquid received at the bottom is finally discharged at the top, while during the successive lifts gra 'ity is opposed, since each bucket serves to hold and prevent the backfiow of thecolumn of liquid in the elevator. By the consequent effects of rapid revolution of the shaft, and by means of the quick and successive interchanges of the liquid contents from bucket to bucket, the final resultant action is a continuous and uninterrupted flow and discharge. Since there is no counter-action induced by gravity, the speed can be re duced and a very efficient result obtained.

1 have made the statement that the cylindrical tube is fixed and that the elevator re- However, it is obvious that equally effective results may be obtained by having the tube form an integral part of the elevator, in which event both will rotate to gether, the inclosing-shell of the tube preventing the liquid from being thrown from the buckets. Thus said liquid matter is forced to ascend upon rotation of the elevator.

\Vhat I desire to claim is- 1. An elevator for raising liquids, composed of a central rotary shaft, a band wound spirally thercabout, the width of said band 2. An elevatorfor raisingliquids, composed of a central shaft, a helical band transversely ets laterally secured to said band and to the shaft, the receiving end of each bucket being contiguous and tangent to the surface of the band, the discharge end being upraised from the latter and with the discharge and receiving ends radially disposed of the shaft, substantially as specified. v

3. The eoinbin ation, with a cylin drical tube, 3, open at both ends, of a rotary rod, 5, centrally therein, a continuous helical band, 6, affixed thereon, and a series of buckets, 8, the bottom of the latter being obliquely disposed of the band 6, to which they are affixed, and said buckets being provided with vertical strips 13, which connect the upper edge of each bucket with the lower edge of the next succeeding one, as and for purposes herein specified.

4. In combination with a stationary tube, 3, connected with a supply and discharge, a revoluble liquid-elevator, 1, composed of a shaft,'5, a helical band, 6, thereon, with its flange or strip 7 on its exterior edge, and the series of buckets 8, having bottom bent plates, 9, arranged consecutively along one side of the said band, as herein described.

5. The fixed hollow tube 3, open at both ends, a revoluble elevator, 4:, inclosed within, having a central actuating-shaft, 5, and a helical band, 6, with its flange 7, combined with a series of consecutive buckets, 8,-f011116d by the bent plates 9, the receiving end of said buckets being tangent with the band, the discharge end upraised from said band, and the pieces 13 radially of the shaft, which unite the discharge end of one bucket w'th the receiving end of the next adjacent bucket, all operating as herein set forth and stated.

.6. An elevator for raising liquid matter, consisting of a central shaft, a helical band thereupon, a continuous lip secured to the outer edge of said band and disposed parallel with the longitudinal axis of the shaft, and a series of buckets attached consecutively along one of the faces of said band, obliquely thereto, substantially as herein explained.

In testimony whereof I affix my signatu-rein presence of two witnesses.

RICHARD SMITH.

\Vitnesses:

H. E. LODGE, E. K. BOYNTON. 

